Reaction-engine.



Ea R. GEEL.

REACTIN ENGINE.

APPLIUATION FILED JArLzz, 190e. RENEW@ um. 7, 1908,

Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

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l i Illlllllllllll 1|" l al 7 f s UNITED' STATES PATENT OFFICE. A.

EDWIN 2B. GILL, 0F YONKEBS, NEW YORK.

REACTION-ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1911;

Application led January 22, 1906 Serial No. 297,150. Renewedflarel 7, 1998. Serial No. 419,766.

To all whom 'it 'ma/q concern.

Be it known that I, EDWIN R. G r1LL, .a citizen of the United States, residing 1n Yonkers, county of Westchester, andState.;l

of New York, have invented a'certain new IHand useful Improvement in Reaction-Ention.

The principal objections hitherto incident to use of the reaction type of heat engine arefrst, the necessity of running at impracticably high speed to obtain commercial eliciency; second, the necessity of using a gines, .of which the following is a specificastufiing boX which, if made properly tight, impedes the action of the engine to a serious volume into theV energy of a large volume` of elasticklluid moving with relatively low velocity. This is accomplished without appreciable loss, by utilizing the lowv velocityv gases immediately after the conversion takesplace, so that the heat of-impact bewith all stuffing boxesv whatever.

tween gases may be available.I The means employed for accomplishing the conversioni of form taken by the energy of the fluid also serves the further end of doing away Instant reversibility is simply and reliably secured by the use ofreaction nozzles ofsuch a na-` ture and so located that they may be turned through an. angle of 180 degrees thus immediately reversing the rotary .effect of the escaping fluid.

It is to be understood that this invention has relation to engines using any appropriate elastic fluid, whether steam, hotaiig or any other gas. f

The-details ofthe device'a's hereinafter described -are given as illustrative examples andit is not intended to point these out as essentials of the invention.

In the accompanyin drawings,-Figure 1 is a 'central section o one form of engine embodying my invention, Fig. 2 is a side view of the shaft and reaction nozzles thereof, Fig. 3, is a detailed plan View. of a ,porir tion of the reversing device shown in Fig. 1, and F1g. 4 isa side'view of a preferred -form of. nozzle. The maximum of efliciency corresponds' to a velocity of the rotating periphery equal to that of the issuing fluids while the maximum output of mechanical work corre'- sponds to a speed one halfas great as that of the fluid. V It is obvius therefore, that by supplying the working fluid through a properly proportioned aspirator, t-he fluid velocity' can be cut down, to such a point as to get the desired output of ecieney at practicable speeds.

Thereaction nozzles in which the conversion into work takes place are made larger than 1 the feeding nozzle in the proportion of the difference of velocit between the live fluid which leaves the feedmg nozzle and thev active fluid in the reaction nozzles.

In the particular embodiment of this de-v vice which is herein shown, the outer cas#` ing of the engine', isshown, at 1, the main driving shaft at 2, and the main driving pulley at 3. The details of these features may be' indefinitely varied, and indeed,

where a condensing engine is not desired the easing may be* dispensed with entirely.

The reaction nozzles are shown at 4, and

as many of these Amay be used as'A desired.

I find two noz-ales placed diametrically to be suitable, and, asfshown, these may form each a continuatiori'of the other, the center of the pair,- passing throu h the chamber 5 at the hub of the engine w ich in the particular formv herein illustrated, is hollowed out in the main shaft itself.- lW'ithin the chain ber 5 the middle of the vpair of reaction nozzles is provided with two op 'ositely placed elongated apertures 6, which)` the working fluid to the nozzles. The'live working fluid is fed through a.nely choked feeding nozzle 7, and is directed into an entrance passage 8, leading to the -chamber 5 of such a shape and ositionas is s'uit' admit able for the purposes o an injector or aspirater. The cross Section shown in the drawing will be found a correct one.

The outer extremities of the reaction noz zles are tnrnedvinto the 1plane of revolution' of the en `ne, and are preferablyshaped so* that the uid issues atl substantially .a ri ht angle to the radial portion of each reaction nozzle'. This is shown at 9 in Fig. 2. Be-V ing bent in opposite directions, the' two members of the pair coperate. It is obvious reversal has the advantage of exceedingly prompt action, it is nevertheless carried out without rigid shock.y This follows from the fact that, in the process of reversal, the react-ion nozzles act first, with a gradually vincreasing departure from the plane of operation until they malte a right angle therewith, with an effect equal to zero, after which they are brought gradually into the plane of rotation again, butl pointed in the opposite direction to that which they have just left.

rlhe turning of the two nozzles for re versing the engine maybe accomplished by a variety of devices which will occur to one skilled in the art, and that shown in the drawings will be found suitable among others.Y Here the shoulders 10 and 11 are litted upon the nozzles where they enter vthe chainber 5 and outside of the same. These slioulders prevent longitudinal movement of the nozzles with respect to the shaft 2. 1iter purposes of reversal, one of 'the shoulders, as 11 takes the form of a gear wheel which is engaged by the raclr 12. This rack is carried by two sleeves 13 and 14 which are mounted upon the main shaft 2 on opposite .sides of the nozzles and are so arranged as to be capable of sliding'ilongitudinally upon said shaft. @ne of these sleeves, as lei, is preferably provided with a peripheral groove 15 int-o which there projects the inner end of an operating rod 16 sliding through a stufling box 17 and provided with a handle 18. Vlhen the rod 16 is pushed inward, the rings will carry the rack 12 with them, thus turning the gear wheel 11 and the nozzles with it. @n pulling the handle 18 outward again the nozzles are once more reversed, but oppositely.

The casing 1 is provided. with an opening 19 which, for condensing engines, is connected with the condenser by means of a pipe Q0. Where a condenser is used, the inert fluid is the exhaust fluid remaining in the casing. When a non-condensing engine is used, the inert duid isfprovided by the ate mosphere. I Y

One of the advantages incident to use of elastic fluids in the manner described is that esame terial lossinto useful Work. rlhis is accomplished by allowing the fluid to expand by the action of its own temperature within the reaction nozzle and in that portion of the nozzle which is turned out of the radial line and wherein the reaction effect is rendered operative. For this purpose I prefer to eniploy reaction nozzles which increase gradually'in diameter from the point at which they depart from the radial line outward as shown at 9 in Fig. 4. Where this Vconstruction is employed, the gases will be expanded down to the pressure of the atmosphere or, in condensing engines, to the condenser pressure, and during expansion they will do work upon the nozzle walls. This not onlyl utilizes the initial heat but also diminishes loss of energy by utilizing the. heat of friction and of eddies or interfering currents witliinthe nozzles. i

`Many changes may be made in 'the con struction of this device without departing frein the scope of this invention, and l am not to be understood as limiting myself to the details herein shown and described. W hat l claim is- 1. i reaction engine comprising a main shaft, asingle pair of reaction nozzles passing through the saine and having properly placed openings near their extremities, and

means for revolving ysaid pair of nozzles upon their common axis, substantially as den scribed. l

Q. iti reaction engine comprising a main shaft, a chamber thereon, a single pair of reaction nozzles passing through said chamber and provided with an inlet aperture within said chamber and means Yfor revolving said nozzles on their common airis, substantially as described.

3. A reaction engine comprising a pair of reaction nozzles a gear wheel thereon, a racli engaging said gear wheel and means for re-V ciprocating said rack, substantially as de scribed.

1i. A reaction engine comprising a main shaft, a chamber therein, a pair of reaction nozzles passing through saidchainber and.

`provided with an aperture. within said chamber and means for rotating said reac tion nozzles, substantially as described.

G. A reaction engine comprising a casing,

'a main shaft entering one side thereof, an

aspirator` opening axially entering the end of said shaft and leading to a chamber within said shaft, a pair of reaction nozzles passing through and communicating With l. litt site side of'said casing and directed into said aspirator opening, substantially as described.

7. A'reaction engine ofthe class 4described comprising ,an outer casing, a revolilble main shaft entering the casing on one side, said shaft being hollow and open at the end opposite that Where it passes into said chamber, means for transmitting power from said shaft outside of said casing and on that i end of the shaft opposite to the opening A I Witnesses:

therein, a ixed feeding nozzle placed substantially in the axial line of said shaftl and 15 arranged to discharge` into the open end thereof; and reaction tubes carried by said shaft and communicating at their inner'ends with the hollow therein so as to receive Working fluid from said feedingnozzle, sub- 20 vstantially as described. v

EDWIN R.'G1LL.

CURTIS P. -GATEnL H. S. MACKAYE. 

